There exist various types of vehicles used mainly in off-road conditions. One such type is the side-by-side off-road vehicle. The name “side-by-side” refers to the seating arrangement of the vehicle in which the driver and a passenger are seated side-by-side. Some side-by-side off-road vehicles also have a second row of seats to accommodate one or more additional passengers. These vehicles typically have an open cockpit, a roll cage and a steering wheel.
To be able to operate in off-road conditions, a side-by-side off-road vehicle needs to be able to handle bumpy terrain to operate on various surfaces including, but not limited to, sand, dirt and mud. These conditions represent unique challenges not typically encountered when designing on-road vehicles such as a car.
One such challenge is that the suspension assemblies need to have a large amount of travel to handle the bumpy terrain. However, as the wheels move up and down with the suspension assemblies, in addition to moving vertically, their orientation also changes. If this change of orientation is substantial, handling of the vehicle can be negatively affected.
Furthermore, side-by-side off-road vehicles are generally narrower and shorter than on-road vehicles such as cars.
Thus there is a desire for a suspension assembly suitable for the operating conditions and limited overall dimensions of side-by-side off-road vehicles.